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Monday, March 12, 2012

Helpful Smart Phone Apps for Baby Boomers

Smart Phone apps have been designed to make our lives easier. If you are a Baby Boomer, there are certain apps that you may find especially helpful. Whether you own an Android or iPhone, make sure you are getting the most out of this handy piece of technology. What are some Smart Phone applications that could benefit you?

Your Bank's Mobile App

Nearly all large banks now have a mobile app and you will find this extremely helpful if you travel very much. I have used the app that is linked to my bank to transfer money from savings to checking, and to pay a bill while I was away from my home computer. You can use the app to instantly see if a check has cleared, or to check your account balance.

Red Laser

If you are a very careful shopper, this mobile app can save you a lot of time and frustration. It allows you to scan in a bar code and check for price comparisons. Before you drive from WalMart to Target to Costco, and back again, to compare the price of the same camera or a similar item, go to the store that is closest to you and scan the bar code. It will tell you the price of the item in a variety of stores.

My Fitness Pal

Are you trying to stay in shape, and you just want to keep track of your calories, weight and the amount of exercise you are getting? This app makes it easy to see how well you are doing. Since most of us always have our phones with us, we are much less likely to forget to enter the data when we are on the go.

Value Diary

If you have used Weight Watchers in the past and want to keep track of your points, without paying a monthly fee, download the very inexpensive Value Diary app. When I downloaded it, it cost $2.99. You can manually enter your foods or look them up on their database. Keep track of your points and maintain your weight without going to meetings or paying a monthly fee.

The Weather Channel

Are you concerned about storms in your area? Do you want to know the weather at your travel destination? The Weather Channel app is a convenient way to instantly know about weather alerts, expected precipitation and anything else that could affect your travel plans.

A Local News Station

I have the app for my both my Los Angles ABC and CBS affiliates, as well as CNN. Whenever there is a breaking news story, I am immediately notified. This is particularly handy whenever there is an earthquake or major traffic stoppage in my area. It also keeps me informed of major news stories, no matter where I am.

Skype

Want to talk to your family and see your grandkids at the same time? If you and your family members have iPhones, you all have Facetime, which is similar to Skype. However, if you have an Android phone or sometimes talk with people on one, having Skype is a wonderful way to visually see the person you are talking to. You grandkids will love it!

WAZE

One of my used apps is WAZE, a free GPS navigation system. It uses real time data to guide you around heavy traffic and warns you of obstructions or vehicles that may be parked along the side of the road. It is invaluable if you live in a large city where traffic is a daily problem.

There are thousands of other useful cell phone applications, as well. If you are interested in some apps that are recommended for senior citizens, you may want to read "Smart Phone Apps for Senior Citizens." It has reviews of a number of other handy smart phone apps including Dragon Dictation, SitorSquat, Shazam, Pandora, WebMD, Google Translate, and more. Use these apps to make sure your phone is providing you with every possible type of assistance.

If you have any other apps that you have found helpful, feel free to leave a comment below and share your knowledge with others.

If you are looking for additional information that is helpful to retirees and Baby Boomers, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles on where to retire, financial planning, health issues and more.

3 comments:

Great ideas here. Of course if you have a new iPhone, you don't need the Weather Channel, just ask Siri! : ) I'll have to get the Red Laser. My favorite is Chase's bank app. I've saved a lot of time and gas by not having to go to the bank just to deposit a check. Awesome!

You make a great point about the amount of time and gas that can be saved by using some of these apps, especially the bank ones. For seniors who have trouble running errands, being able to use their phone to do their banking is a huge convenience! Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

Hello from Rhode Island! We are enjoying your blog! We also found lots of great apps . . . especially for baby boomers. (As a matter of fact we are compiling another list of recommendations from our readers for a future article.) We hope you will look over some of the fun and helpful apps on our boomersRI site: www.boomersRI.com

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